I do a show in my hometown several times a year and they always let in manufactured goods. There’s often a Tupperware rep and ALWAYS an Origami Owl rep (who makes money hand over fist, annoyingly enough), among others who just sell imported junk. The booth fee and commission are VERY affordable and I always do well there, so I keep going. I do find it frustrating, particularly since they make a point of advertising that the goods for sale are made in America AND handmade. I’ve talked to other vendors there who make their product as well and we all share the same frustrations. I’ve considered saying something, but the show has been a nice little money maker, so I just try to ignore it. My mantra when I see people buying that manufactured and (I feel) inferior product is, “That’s not my customer.”

A friend of mine indicated that she now places a limit on how many jewelry vendors she will compete with at a show and if the show signs up more than that she will not do it. She’s been making jewelry for a lot longer than I have so perhaps she can afford to do that. It’s pretty difficult these days to find a show where you won’t find Silpada or many another commercial vendors that will dilute the jewelry sales for you. In this economy people are very particular about what they will spend some of their disposable income on. Shows that only charge 1$ admission usually draw people that are looking for you to practically give away your jewelry.

Don’t worry so much about the components. You are buying them and designing from there….we don’t have to put eighty hours into a piece for it to be unique or handmade. I used to silver smith, but since I no longer do that work, I have to buy from other smiths if I want a particular pendant or component. Does that mean my finished product isn’t handmade? Not at all.

In fact, I’ve had customers burst right out laughing after they’ve asked if I do all the lapidary work, etc. and I’ve answered, “Yes, I’ve just lost my mind and decided to cut my prices to 1/20th of the original cost for doing so”… then it hits them! They realize the amount of work involved if I did, indeed, do all the lapidary, etc., and for the reasonable prices of my jewelry, they know that wouldn’t make sense to assume that I did.

I find it kind of interesting that this topic even came up…I know few artisans who make every little detail themselves. Most of us use components that we’ve put together to achieve the design in our head, and to me? That IS handmade. So don’t fret about juried shows and the “completely handmade” issue. The finished piece you’re selling IS completely handmade. You came up with the design and did the work, so it’s handmade.

Besides, most of the people judging the work to be allowed into these shows have never made anything in their lives. So, it’s my opinion most of them aren’t even qualified to judge. They go with what they “like”, so don’t let them fool you! I know this because I’ve known many “juries”… and most of them had no artistic talent whatsoever. So, it’s really just their personal opinion as to whether you’re “good enough” to be accepted.

Fret less about the picky-ooney details, and just do what you do best! Create and have some fun.

On the other hand, the shows who allow any and every type of booth vendor have not usually been very successful shows for my husband & I. However, we happen to live in a tourist area and have found a niche showing our art (jewelry & photography) at the local wineries. It makes for a nice relaxing day for us, plus when we’re not chatting with customers we can enjoy a little wine tasting ourselves! And we love that!

It’s actually a win-win situation for us and for the wineries, as the customers hang around longer at the wineries where there are handmade items to look at and we get the benefit of tourists seeking locally made art. It also allows us to chat with customers one-on-one without other vendors vying for their attention.

I highly recommend checking into smaller venues in your area to see if a symbiotic relationship can be started with some of your local businesses. Good luck to everyone on your shows!

First, let me say that most of the shows I’ve done would have no problem with that.

But if you have any question about whether something you’re doing would be acceptable at a particular show, be sure to ask the show’s organizer whether that’s OK at their event (and ideally you’d ask before applying for that show).

On one end of the scale are the shows where the organizer obviously doesn’t care what products are sold, just as long as all the booth spaces are sold! (ugh!)

And at the other end of the spectrum are some of the juried shows that painstakingly uphold their standards of what can and cannot be in their show.

Usually the shows that are really particular about things have it all spelled out in their application paperwork or their website – so that’s always a good first place to check on what’s allowed at that event.

If your particular question isn’t answered there, then you can usually email or phone them with your question.

Wishing you every success with your shows – and please let us know how things go for you! 🙂

It was frustrating, and I’m sure I lost some sales to them, but I just had to tell myself that MY customers will know the difference between what I’m offering and what those vendors are selling. Frankly, I sort of felt some animosity coming my way from the S&D rep and I didn’t get that from any of the vendors who made their own products. I was not anything but friendly to her. I didn’t even know what Stella and Dot was before that show. I was a bit taken aback.

In your case, I’d write a polite, but to the point letter letting the show organizers know how disappointed you are by the non-crafters they let into the show. IMO, it lowers the quality of the entire show to have Tupperware or Pampered Chef or another mfg product rep there. Some organizers only care about filling booth space, but others do care and maybe just haven’t considered how letting those vendors into their shows affects their image. I know that I won’t attend any craft show a second time if I find vendors with mfg products.

What is important…every time we do shows…is to think of it as a marketing promotion. Not to count only the sales, or on an educated buying public. Have plenty of energy to talk up your products, and have lovely business cards to hand out. You never know what will come of it in the future. Many times, people tell me they saw my work a year or 2 ago…and now they are ready to buy something!

Think of it in these terms…all the tv commercials or magazine ads one sees….those are extremely expensive for the advertisers to create…and don’t always relate in a sale…but sooner or later, it all pays off. My point is that try and see a positive situation even at the very worst of shows. Educating potential and future customers as to your products handmade, one of a kind, eco friendly , uniquely different, etc. value is as important as selling. Even a bad show can be a great marketing opportunity.

For sure we want to be at a sale that attracts the customers who are predisposed to our unique offerings. But if you find yourself in this situation again use it as an opportunity to really amp up your unique message.

Oh, been there exactly, done that, don’t do it anymore. Wait ’til the Silpada rep comes over to look at your handmade PMC silver jewellery and tries to sign you up to sell Silpada! Duhh… I do NOT do craft shows anymore.

If there’s a venue I think I might be interested in, I go check it out first. After you’ve been around for a while, you’ll meet fellow craft vendors and you can find out from them if a show is worth doing and the ones to avoid. The organisers sure won’t tell you — “Oh, no, it’s all handcrafted! We insist on it.” And yep, you get there, and, oh, gee, there’s Pampered Chef, over there is Silpada, Avon is next to you, and all the rest of the gang are there. My friend who is an artisanal baker was at the same show and her “competition” — who sold out, btw — was reselling packaged cupcakes from the grocery store!

Another thing to ask the organisers about if you are wavering and reeeeally tempted to do a show: what is the total number of vendors and how many of them will be jewellery vendors? Nowadays, it’s running about 50% jewellery, if not more. Unless you are one of three to five jewellery vendors right next to the front door or you happen to be selling the latest, hottest, must-have item, you may as well stay home.

If you’re not going to do craft shows, then what?

The suggestion about targeting theme events is absolutely spot on. At many large, prestigious shows, booths are outrageously expensive no matter what you’re selling. See if you can find someone “logical” to share a booth with, if sharing is allowed. I use a lot of turquoise, and I have been talking about sharing space with a lady who sells saddles and riding gear. She was telling me how heart-stoppingly expensive the booths were at these horse shows and how brutal they are to do alone because they are often open 10 or 12 hours a day. I have turquoise jewellery which is thematically linked in people’s minds with horses/riding/western wear, but also a line of young girls’ horse-themed jewellery made with very high quality, locally-made pewter horse pendants. For an event like this I would put together a targeted display on a four-foot section of table and go vertical with a grid screen wrapping around the corner of the table.

Along with using PMC silver, I also do a lot of hammering and at bead shows get inquiries about that. Because no one else at an upcoming fall bead show is currently selling either the PMC line, the courses, or hammering tools in particular, I have tentatively arranged to sell basic bench blocks, hammers and PMC products on commission for a local company who won’t be participating in the show. This is a win-win: for this company, the show is still a little too small to make it worth their while to attend, it’s free advertising for them and their jewellery courses; it will help me to defray my hard costs and enable me to expand to a second table, plus it will help raise my profile by selling their products.

Barbara

Some shows it even pays to briefly educate the customer. If they linger at all at my booth, I greet them with something like “these are all coins I have handpainted and madee into jewelry” and then of course leave them alone to shop unless they have questions.

I agree with the others that the other booths are not your competition. They may, however, be an indication that the price point of the show was not a good fit for you.

Good luck with the search. It has taken me a while to figure out which shows are the best for me. When I hit a dud, I look for other booths like mine and spend a little time networking and gathering business and display tips. Then it isn’t a total waste of time, and I ad some fun.

Ann at AnimalCoin.com

Great advice from Tamara. She’s absolutely right on all counts.

And I’m an example of her mention that “someone wanting your pieces isn’t going to buy Silpada instead.”

I deeply LOVE handmade jewelry – it’s the only kind of jewelry I purchase. (And I purchase it fairly often!) I love the special look and feel of handcrafted jewelry that manufactured jewelry could NEVER even begin to replicate.

About getting stuck in a venue with retailing vendors:

Before signing up for shows I always ask and research regarding the vendor mix and whether there will be non-handmade products being sold there. I feel that I have a more targeted audience at events that are handmade-only, because the folks who come to stroll around those events tend to be more attuned to purchasing handmade.

You may want to brainstorm venues where your style of art will be particularly appreciated.

With your Native jewelry line, here are a couple of examples of venues where I think you’d do well:

1) Southwestern / Western themed events (where Native crafts are often appreciated, regardless of what region they come from).

2) Historical re-enactments (I’ve been to some great Revolutionary War events where there’s also a row of vendors in realistic clothing of that time, demonstrating how their craft was done in the 1700s and selling handmade goods that replicate items from that era).

3) Shows that target outdoorsy people (gun & knife shows, canoe & kayak events, Nature-oriented events, etc.).

I wish you a more targeted audience at your next event, Marlies – and please keep us posted on what happens! 🙂

(Also, here’s the great post Tamara referred to above – 6 Ways to Power up Your Jewelry Business by Luann Udell.)

The other thing I want to share is that you and Silpada make totally different kinds of jewellery. They aren’t your competition. Yes, those companies do sell a high volume often, but you have to find your own market, and someone wanting your pieces isn’t going to buy Silpada instead. Maybe that sale isn’t the best place for your jewellery. Keep working to find your best avenues for sales. There was a post recently about “finding your tribe” that you should read if you haven’t.

I think we’ve all had those kinds of situations. Keep working and don’t get discouraged.